EDISON,
N.J. – After one of his best outings of
the 2012 season, VMI face-off specialist Stephen Robarge was named the Metro
Atlantic Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week, announced by the
league office on Monday.

On
Saturday, Robarge won an astounding 23 of 28 face-offs against Canisius at a
cold and rainy Demske Sports Complex. It marked the fourth time this season the
Lorton, Va. native surpassed the 20-win mark in a single game, the only
Division I player in the country to do so four times this season.

Even
more impressive than the 23 wins was the number of opponents Robarge faced on
Saturday, squaring off with eight different Golden Griffins. Not only did
Robarge come out on top 23 times, but he sent six of those eight away from the
X without a win.

Robarge dominated at the face-off X, but he contributed on the offensive end as well,
chipping in a goal just 12 seconds into the second half, breaking a 6-6
halftime stalemate. The reigning MAAC Face-off Specialist of the Year collected
15 groundballs on the day, nearly half of VMI’s total of 34.

For his
career, Robarge has logged eight games with at least 20 wins at the face-off X,
putting up four last year and an additional four this year, with one game to
play.

Through
last weekend’s games, Robarge moved into the No. 1 spot in two NCAA statistical
categories. He averages 9.23 groundballs per game, grabbing 120 in his 13 games
played. At the X, he has won199 of his 297 draws (67.0 percent).

This is
the second time in his career Robarge has been honored as the MAAC Defensive
Player of the Week. His first came on Feb. 22, 2010. He is the third VMI player
to earn weekly honors from the league, following freshman Mike DeBlasio as the
Rookie of the Week on March 19 and junior goalkeeper Matt Lindemann as the
Defensive Player of the Week on April 10.

The
three VMI players to have earned weekly honors from the league office mark the
first time since 2008 the Keydets have had three players honored in one season.
VMI saw two players earn Offensive Player of the Week honors on two occasions each.

Also
earning plaudits this week were Siena’s Bryan Neufield as the Offensive Player
of the Week and Jacksonville’s Quint Miller as the Rookie of the Week.

VMI
returns home to conclude its 2012 season on Saturday against University of
Detroit Mercy. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the SprinTurf Field, located
directly behind Foster Stadium. Prior to the game, the Keydets and the coaching
staff will honor the squad’s 11 seniors.